"The State of Georgia Killed an Innocent Man"

Troy Davis                                                            CBS News

 "Tonight the state of Georgia killed and innocent man," said Ben Jealous of the NAACP. Despite 7 out of 9 eye witnesses recanting their story (5 claiming police coercion) another man telling others he did it, (the 8th eye witness) but threatening them if they told, unreliable forensic evidence, jurors saying they would never have given the death sentence if they had known all the facts and over a million signatures on petitions calling for clemency- the Georgia Dept of Pardons and Paroles denied it and Troy Davis was put to death by lethal injection at 11:08 last night, September 21.

Troy told the family of the slain police officer that he was innocent, asked his family and friends to keep up the fight for justice and told his executioners, "God have mercy on your souls" and "God bless your souls."

Yesterday was a tragic and very sad day for his loved ones and for fairness and justice in our country. But as his attorney said "This case struck a chord in the world, and as a result the legacy of Troy Davis doesn't die tonight," adding that his death could lead to systematic reform of our criminal justice system, "so we will never again witness, with inevitable regret, the execution of an innocent man as we did here tonight."

A friend who couldn't sleep the night before he was to be killed, told me his words (below) helped bring her some peace. May they do that for you too and may we all continue the fight for justice.

A Message from Troy Anthony Davis
September 10, 2011

To All:
I want to thank all of you for your efforts and dedication to Human Rights and Human Kindness, in the past year I have experienced such emotion, joy, sadness and never ending faith. It is because of all of you that I am alive today, as I look at my sister Martina I am marveled by the love she has for me and of course I worry about her and her health, but as she tells me, she is the eldest and she will not back down from this fight to save my life and prove to the world that I am innocent of this terrible crime.

As I look at my mail from across the globe, from places I have never ever dreamed I would know about, and people speaking languages and expressing cultures and religions I could only hope to one day see first hand, I am humbled by the emotion that fills my heart with overwhelming, overflowing Joy. I can’t even explain the insurgence of emotion I feel when I try to express the strength I draw from you all, it compounds my faith and it shows me yet again that this is not a case about the death penalty, this is not a case about Troy Davis, this is a case about Justice and the Human Spirit to see Justice prevail.

I cannot answer all of your letters but I do read them all, I cannot see you all but I can imagine your faces, I cannot hear you speak but your letters take me to the far reaches of the world, I cannot touch you physically but I feel your warmth everyday I exist.
So Thank you and remember I am in a place where execution can only destroy your physical form but because of my faith in God, my family and all of you I have been spiritually free for some time and no matter what happens in the days, weeks to come, this Movement to end the death penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a system that fails to protect the innocent must be accelerated.

There are so many more Troy Davis’. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me but through our strength to move forward and save every innocent person in captivity around the globe. We need to dismantle this Unjust system city by city, state by state and country by country.

I can’t wait to Stand with you, no matter if that is in physical or spiritual form, I will one day be announcing,

“I AM TROY DAVIS, and I AM FREE!”

Never Stop Fighting for Justice and We will Win!



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